Excess noise exposure can generate auditory fatigue, possibly compromising a person's listening abilities. On a daily basis, people are exposed to various environmental sounds and noises within their environment, such as the sounds from traffic, construction, and industry. Some of the sounds in the environment may correspond to warnings, such as those associated with an alarm or siren. A person that can hear the warning sounds can generally react in time to avoid danger. In contrast, a person that cannot adequately hear the warning sounds, or whose hearing faculties have been compromised due to auditory fatigue, may be susceptible to danger.
Environmental noise can mask warning sounds and impair a person's judgment. Moreover, when people wear headphones to listen to music, or engage in a call using a telephone, they can effectively impair their auditory judgment and their ability to discriminate between sounds. With such devices, the person is immersed in the audio experience and generally less likely to hear target sounds within their environment. In some cases, the user may even turn up the volume to hear their personal audio over environmental noises. This can put the user in a compromising situation since they may not be aware of target sounds in their environment. It also puts them at high sound exposure risk, which can potentially cause long term hearing damage.
A need therefore exists for enhancing the user's ability to hear target sounds in their environment without compromising his hearing.